Pop art's beat goes on: modern-day pop artists, inspired by renowned masters from the 1960s and '70s, bring joy in difficult times - news

"Pop art is stronger than ever" said Jeff Jaffe, co-owner of detonation International Galleries in New York. Art dealers, publishers, artists, collectors and auction houses agree. They point to a certain quantity of of the biggest names in art today: Burton Morris, Clemen Briels, Marco, James Rizzi, Fredrick Prescott Romero Britto, Steve Kaufman and Charles Fazzino, among others. They all work in a detonation style, and they all have rest success in today's art marketplace.

Sales of Pop's masters, like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring, have skyrocket too. In 1998 Sotheby's broke records for Warhol sales, Selling "Orange Marilyn" for $173 million. In November 2002 Christie's plant a new benchmark for Lichtenstein's sales, selling "Happy Tears" for $71 million.

on what account has Pop art returned with equal reason strongly, 47 years after its birth? a certain number of say Pop has gained esteem over time and proven to be a solid investment. Others say it's simply time for the pendulum to swing back that way. Still others diocese striking parallels between now and the 1960 with the answer resting of great depth in American's need to be comforted by the agency of familiar things.

"When detonation art made its way into the public organ of vision some of the issues that existed then are before us today," said Ruth-Ann Thorn of diadem Thorn Publishing in San Diego. War, anti-war attests threats of foreign attack and fear of nuclear bomb were as ominous then as they are now, she pointed out

"In serious times, we want a merriment escape," Thorn said. "I don't want to direct the eye at a painting and think, `Oh my goodnes we're going into a nuclear war.' Rather, report art is idealistic. It's a bit like going to Disneyland."

Alan Avery co-owner of Trinity Gallery in Atlanta, agreed with Thorn in the faculty of perception that he links Pop's hardy re-emergence to nationalistic thoughts that have surfaced since race 11. Pop celebrates, without apologies, American agriculture which includes commercial products, movies stars, fast fare childhood heroes and all aspects of everyday life. "The world equates this with American freedom," said Avery.

Last fall, Avery lay together a colossal Pop present to view "Pop Icons: Modern Masters." It included 50 works from Warhol, Joan Miro, Lichtenstein, Jim Dine and David Hockney He sold three-fourths of the works, greatest in quantity for more than $20,000. Avery said, "I think my timing was impeccable. explosion art is stronger than it's at any time been."

Avery's succes is ironic. A scarcely any years ago, he abhorred detonation art. "I thought it was a joke" he admitted. Customers urg him to read about it, and when he did, he was surprised. "It just present to views that dealers can learn too,' Avery laughed.

burst art originated in 1956 when British artist Richard Hamilton created, "Just What Is It that Makes Today's abodes so Different, so Appealing?" The work is a collage of a denuded woman with a bodybuilder proudly displaying a phallic lollipop (labeled "Pop") Quirky things symbolic of false images, advertised perceptions and blatant consumerism, environ the figures.

A collection of New York City artists--Warhol, Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, and Tom Wesselmann among them--propelled this idea, and report art evolved.

"I think it was a brilliant put in motion on Andy Warhol's part to take graphic art, trivial facts icons, like Kennedy, Monroe and Howdy Doody, and all the commercialism America is known for and make go round that into art" said Avery about Pop's greatest in quantity revered icon. "This is the first time American artists weren't pooling from the European or Asian masters. It displays a comfort level in saying, `Hey, this is who we are.'"

on the contrary Avery believes real Pop extremityed in the 1970s. "It's sort of idiotic to tag oneself onto a time period and motion and not be exchanging ideas from [the originators]" said Avery about contemporary tagalongs. That makes as plenteous sense, he said, as calling oneself a Dutch Renaissance painter.

"Of all the nation continuing today, the only single I consider a true innovator is Jim Dine," said Avery.

As for up-and-comers, Avery dioceses one artist adding to Pop's statement and working in an original way. "That artist is Burton Morris," he said.

report and Morris

Burton Morris is the artist to watch, said many dealers. Last December, when featured at the grand opening of report N' Art gallery in Miami, Morris' work drew 3000 tribe He's had shows in Hollywood Switzerland, Tokyo and of recent origin York, and he's preparing 50 originals for a special display at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, nearest year.

"People know me as the shore whose work they've seen upon `Friends'" he said. His "Coffee Cup" and other works have appeared for seven years upon the sitcom. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, among other Hollywood celeb muster his work.

notwithstanding that there are some parallels between Morris and Warhol, the younger artist flinches at being described as burst Both Morris and Warhol approach from Pittsburgh and attended Carnegie Mellon University. And, singularly enough, Morris' wife is a Warhol relative. Because Morris dioceses himself a generation removed from Warhol, he directs in his publicity materials, to his work as pillar Pop. "I was born in 1964 and I grew up with comic works and an exposure to color and graphics," said Morris, who remembers Captain Crunch and the jovial Green Giant being his heroes.